


Hope

by Vandera



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 11:23:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18964264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vandera/pseuds/Vandera
Summary: Tyrathan believes that he’s lost Vol’jin for good, only to learn that Vol’jin survived. However, things have changed for Vol’jin.





	Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I’d like to thank SilverWind12 for putting this idea into my head.

Tyrathan Khort hid behind the outcropping of rocks, watching Vol’jin’s funeral. He fought to show no outward emotion, but on the inside, his heart was breaking. He watched as the funeral pyre was lit. The Horde mourned their fallen Warchief and Tyrathan mourned with them.

He could not believe that Vol’jin was really gone. He had always assumed that Vol’jin would outlive him. He had thought that one day they would be able reunite and see each other again. He had hoped that one day they could resume their relationship. Yet, all of that was going up in smoke before Tyrathan’s eyes.

Suddenly, the ceremony was interrupted by the appearance of demons from the Burning Legion. They had the audacity to infiltrate Vol’jin’s funeral! The mourners became fighters as they attacked the demons.

Anger boiled in Tyrathan’s blood. From his hiding spot, he unleashed arrow after arrow at the demons. In the commotion, no one was questioning where the arrows were coming from. Tyrathan was determined that the Legion would pay for killing Vol’jin, and taking away what may have been Tyrathan’s last chance at happiness.

Slowly, the demons were falling one by one. It soon became clear that the Horde was going to win this skirmish. Tyrathan lowered his bow. He needed to leave before someone did get curious about the arrows that had come flying out from behind the rocks.

Tyrathan looked back at the pyre for one last glimpse of Vol’jin. The fire had burned out, but there was nothing left on the pyre. No bones, ashes, nothing. That was odd.  
—————————————————————————————————————————  
Tyrathan Khort watched as the Legion ship flew over Trueshoot Lodge.

“Highmountain is under attack!” shouted a sentry from one of watchtowers.

“Move out! Everyone!” yelled the Huntmaster in Orcish. Her second in command, a kaldorei, translated the orders into Common.

Tyrathan grabbed his weapons and headed towards the flight master with the other hunters. The large eagles carried the hunters down into Highmountain. Once they landed, the hunters spread out to repel the demon attack.

Tyrathan fired arrows at every demon he came across. This battle was fierce, just like the other battles they had been through against the Legion. The sky began to darken as the tide turned in the hunters’ favor.

There was one demon that dodged at the last second. Tyrathan’s arrow missed the kill shot; instead it wounded the demon. The demon turned and ran off into the woods. Even though night was falling, Tyrathan followed the demon, determined to put an end to the creature.

He tracked the monster and finally found it. It was fighting with another demon. The other demon was bigger and he cut down Tyrathan’s prey with one swipe of his glaive.

That was unusual, but it did not matter to Tyrathan if the Burning Legion turned on themselves. Tyrathan would kill them all.

He aimed an arrow at the rogue demon. He was about to unleash it when the demon turned around. Tyrathan froze. It was obvious that the demon had once been a troll. Shock showed on the demon’s face when he saw Tyrathan, but it was the creature’s eyes that held Tyrathan’s attention and tore at Tyrathan’s heart.

No. It wasn’t true. This wasn’t real. The creature’s amber eyes stared at Tyrathan with recognition.

“Vol’jin?” whispered Tyrathan as he lowered his bow.

Those amber eyes widened. The demon turned and took off into the night.  
—————————————————————————————————————————  
Tyrathan tried to forget what he had seen. He tried to convince himself that he had imagined the whole thing. He had fallen so far into grief that it was distorting his view of reality. That is what he told himself.

So when the Huntmaster asked for a volunteer to go to Azsuna to collect bear livers and hippogryph eggs for Prince Farondis, Tyrathan volunteered.

He went alone, like he did on most hunts. The forests of Azsuna were quiet today. It did not take long for Tyrathan to find his first prey. He unleashed an arrow at one of the fattest bears he had ever seen. The arrow hit its mark, bringing the bear down. Tyrathan was gutting the bear when he felt someone watching him.

Tyrathan glanced up, his eyes scanning his surroundings. The hair on the back of his neck was standing up. He spotted a few leaves moving in a large bush several yards away. Then, the feeling of being watched passed.

Tyrathan was not sure what possessed him to try to find out who or what had been spying on him, but he left his kill to inspect the bush. It took a few minutes, but he picked up the trail of his unknown observer. It was a faint trail, only clear to a skilled hunter who knew what to look for.

Tyrathan followed the trail until he came upon a demon, standing on a cliff overlooking the sea. The demon had his back turned to Tyrathan, but the human could tell that it was the same strange demon he had seen the other night in Highmountain.

His heart pounding, Tyrathan nocked an arrow in his bow. He was going to get some answers. He stepped out into the open, aiming his bow at the demon.

“Still da best hunter on da planet. Go ahead. Kill me,” said the creature without turning around. “Trust me. Ya be doin’ me a favor.” It was Vol’jin’s voice.

Tyrathan took a couple of steps closer, keeping his arrow aimed at the creature’s back. “Who are you?” he demanded. He had to know.

“Ya already know da answer, manthing,” sighed the creature in Zandali.

Tyrathan lowered his weapon as a sob escaped his throat. His eyes were already watering with tears. There was no longer any doubt in his mind as to who this creature was.

“Kill me,” ordered Vol’jin.

“I can’t,” whispered Tyrathan. The tears were sliding down his cheeks. Vol’jin was alive.

Vol’jin turned around and approached Tyrathan. Those amber eyes looked at him with such softness that it made Tyrathan want to cry even harder.

“Hush,” said Vol’jin softly as he wiped the tears off Tyrathan’s face.

“What happened?” Tyrathan asked.

“Da only answer I be havin’ is dat da poison did somethin’ to me as it killed me,” explained Vol’jin. “Demons from da Legion stole my body before it could be destroyed. I made dem pay for dat,” growled Vol’jin.

“So you’ve been all alone since then? No one knows that you’re alive?” Tyrathan asked.

“No one gonna accept me like dis. I fight da Legion when and where I can. So far, ya be da only one to see me,” said Vol’jin. He glanced over at the setting sun. “It be gettin’ late. Ya should be gettin’ back to where ya suppose to be.”

Tyrathan shook his head. “I’m not leaving you,” he argued.

Vol’jin frowned. “Ya have ya family to go back to, Tyrathan.”

“No, I don’t. Not anymore,” sighed Tyrathan. “She left me and they won’t let me see my children. When I’m at home, Vanyst keeps sending me on what appear to be suicide missions. They seem to be disappointed when I return alive.”

“I be sorry,” said Vol’jin.

“And then I thought I lost you,” Tyrathan’s voice cracked. He could not finish that sentence. He could not give voice to the grief and depression he had been locked in ever since Vol’jin’s funeral.

Vol’jin pulled him into a hug and held him. Tyrathan sobbed against Vol’jin’s chest. In the back of his mind, he noticed that Vol’jin’s scent had changed, but a lot had obviously changed about Vol’jin. Tyrathan just hoped that Vol’jin’s feelings for him had not changed.

“Can ya really accept me like dis, Tyrathan?” Vol’jin whispered.

Tyrathan pulled back so he could look up at Vol’jin. How could Vol’jin even ask a question like that? “I’d accept you even if you became the new Loa of Death,” smirked Tyrathan through his tears.

Vol’jin chuckled, “Trust me. I not be wantin’ Bwonsamdi’s job.”

“We’ll fight the Legion, together,” said Tyrathan. “And we’ll find some way to help you, together. And if we fail, we will still be together.”

Vol’jin smiled and nodded.

Tyrathan returned that smile as he felt a warm feeling in his chest that he had not felt in a long time. Hope.


End file.
